On the eve of Super Bowl LX, an NFL rookie with a promising future has found himself on the wrong side of the law due to some very serious charges.
According to reports, Atlanta Falcons rookie linebacker James Pearce Jr. has been arrested on two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated stalking and fleeing/eluding police. He was reportedly arrested after crashing his vehicle following a police chase, per WPLG.
"Falcons edge James Pearce Jr. was arrested on charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon (two counts), aggravated stalking and fleeing/eluding police. @WPLGLocal10 reports Pearce was arrested after crashing his vehicle following a police chase," NFL reporter Mike Garafolo wrote on Saturday.
According to ESPN's Marc Raimondi, the court records indicate he was arrested for domestic violence.
"#Falcons rookie James Pearce Jr. was arrested Saturday in Florida on domestic violence charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated stalking, per court records," Raimondi wrote.
Pearce was the No. 26 overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2025 NFL Draft following a standout career at the University of Tennessee. He was a two-time First-Team All-SEC defensive lineman, recording 29.5 tackles for loss and 19.5 sacks in 39 games for the Vols.
Pearce quickly made a name for himself as a situational pass rusher, recording 10.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 16 QB hits despite starting just three of his 17 games and getting fewer than 55% of the Falcons' defensive snaps.
For his efforts, Pearce was named to the PFWA All-Rookie team and finished third in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
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The Falcons only recently underwent a pretty substantial regime change, hiring Kevin Stefanski as their new head coach after hiring team legend Matt Ryan as their president of football operations. As of writing, the team has not released a public statement on the arrest, but one is certainly coming.
Pearce's NFL career could be on thin ice less than one year after it even began.